"We are fairly settled in a pleasant home upon the main street.
The meeting-house, which you will remember, is near by; and I
have, by the blessing of God, a full attendance every Lord's
day. They listen to my poor sermons with commendable
earnestness; and I trust they may prove to them 'a savor of
life unto life.' We also find the people of the town neighborly
and kind. Squire Elderkin has proved particularly so, and is a
very energetic man in all matters relating to the parish. I
fear greatly, however, that he still lacks the intimate favor
of God, and has not humbled himself to entire submission. Yet
he is constant in his observance of nearly all the outward
forms of devotion and of worship; and we hear of his charities
in every house we enter. Strange mystery of Providence, that he
should not long since have been broken down by grace, and
become in _all_ things a devout follower of the Master! I hope
yet to see him brought a humble suppliant into the fold. His
wife is a most excellent person, lowly in her faith, and
zealous of good works. The same may also be said of their
worthy maiden sister, Miss Joanna Meacham, who is, of a truth,
a matron in Israel. Rachel and myself frequently take tea at
their house; and she is much interested in the little family of
Elderkins, who, I am glad to say, enjoy excellent advantages,
and such of them as are of proper age are duly taught in the
Shorter Westminster Catechism.
"Deacon Tourtelot, another of our neighbors, is a devout man;
and Dame Tourtelot (as she is commonly called) is a woman of
quite extraordinary zeal and capacity. Their daughter Almira is
untiring in attendance, and aids the services by singing
treble. Deacon Simmons, who lives at quite a distance from us,
is represented to be a man of large means and earnest in the
faith. He has a large farm, and also a distillery, both of
which are said to be managed with great foresight and prudence.
I trust that the reports which I hear occasionally of his
penuriousness are not wholly true, and that in due time his
hand will be opened by divine grace to a more effectual showing
forth of the deeds of charity. I do not allow myself to
entertain any of the scandals which unfortunately belong more
or less to every parish, and which so interrupt the growth of
that Christian love which is the parent of all virtues; and I
trust that these good people may come in time to see that it is
better to live together in harmony than to foment those
bickerings which have led so recently to the dismissal of my
poor brother in the Gospel. Our home affairs are, I believe,
managed prudently,--the two servants being most excellent
persons, and my little Rachel a very sunbeam in the house."
And the little sunbeam writes to Mrs. Handby at about the same date,--we
will say from six to eight months after their entry,--
"Everything goes on _delightfully_, dear mamma. Esther is a
good creature, and helps me wonderfully. You would laugh to see
me fingering the raw meats at the butcher's cart to choose nice
pieces, which I really _can do_ now; and it is fortunate I can,
for the goodman Benjamin knows _positively nothing_ of such
things, and I am sure wouldn't be able to tell mutton from
beef.
"The little parlor is nicely furnished; there is an elegant
hair sofa, and over the mantel is the portrait of Major Johns;
and then the goodman has insisted upon hanging under the
looking-glass _my old sampler in crewel_, with a gilt frame
around it; on the table is the illustrated 'Pilgrim's Progress'
papa gave me, and a volume of 'Calmet's Dictionary' I have
taken out of the study--it is full of _such beautiful
pictures_,--and 'Mrs. Hannah More' in full gilt. The big Bible
you gave us, the goodman says, is too large for easy handling;
so it is kept on a stand in the corner, with the great
fly-brush of peacock's feathers hanging over it. I have put
charming blue chintz curtains in the spare chamber, and
arranged everything there very nicely; so that, _before a
certain event_, you must be sure to come and take possession.
"Last night we took tea again with the Elderkins, and Mrs.
Elderkin was as kind to me as ever, and Miss Meacham is an
excellent woman, and the little ones are loves of children; and
I wish you could see them. But you will, you know, _quite
soon_. Sometimes I fall to crying, when I think of it all; and
then the goodman comes and puts his hand on my head, and
says,--'Rachel! Rachel, my dear! is this your gratitude for all
God's mercies?' And then I jump up, and kiss his grave face,
and laugh through my tears. He is a dear good man. This is all
very foolish, I suppose; but, mamma, isn't it the way with all
women?
"Dame Tourtelot is a great storm of a creature, and she comes
down upon us every now and then, and advises me about the
housekeeping and the table, and the servants, and
Benjamin,--giving me a great many good hints, I suppose; but in
such a way, and calling me 'my child,' as makes me feel good
for nothing, and as if I were not fit to be mistress. Miss
Almira is a quiet thing, and has a piano. She dresses _very
queerly_, and, I have been told, written poetry for the
'Hartford Courant,' _over two stars_--* *. She seems a good
creature, though, and comes to see us often. The chaise is a
_great_ comfort, and our old horse Dobbins is a good, sober
horse. Benjamin often takes me with him in his drives to see
the parishioners who live out of town. He tells me about the
trees and the flowers, and a thousand matters I never heard of.
Indeed, he is a good man, and he knows a _world_ of things."
The tender-hearted, kind soul makes her way into the best graces of the
people of Ashfield: the older ones charmed with that blithe spirit of
hers, and all the younger ones mating easily with her simple, outspoken
naturalness. She goes freely everywhere; she is not stiffened by any
ceremony, nor does she carry any stately notions of the dignity of her
office,--some few there may be who wish that she had a keener sense of
the importance of her position; she even bursts unannounced into the
little glazed corner of the Tew partners, where she prattles away with
the sedate Mistress Tew in good, kindly fashion, winning that stiff old
lady's heart, and moving her to declare to all customers that the
parson's wife has no pride about her, and is "a dear little thing, to be
sure!"
On summer evenings, Dobbins is to be seen, two or three times in the
week, jogging along before the square-topped chaise, upon some highway
that leads into the town, with the parson seated within, with slackened
rein, and in thoughtful mood, from which he rouses himself from time to
time with a testy twitch and noisy chirrup that urge the poor beast into
a faster gait. All the while the little wife sits beside him, as if a
twittering sparrow had nestled itself upon the same perch with some
grave owl, and sat with him side by side, watching for the big eyes to
turn upon her, and chirping some pretty response for every solemn
utterance of the wise old bird beside her.